SHOW'S OVER
BBC axes legendary sports show on screen for 50 years – just 3 years after Sue Barker dropped as presenter
A former presenter last year slammed the BBC's handling of her departure
LEGENDARY BBC panel show A Question of Sport has been axed after more than 50 years.
Bosses say dwindling ratings and limited iPlayer appeal forced them to blow the whistle on the show, which first aired in 1970.
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The Beeb insists it is not for sale and say it reserves the right to bring it back in the future.
A BBC spokesperson told : “Due to inflation and funding challenges difficult decisions have to be made, therefore Question of Sport is currently not in production at the moment.”
For 24 years the show was hosted by former Wimbledon tennis star Sue Barker.
Famous team captains included ex-England rugby legend Matt Dawson, former cricketer Phil Tufnell and ex-Scots footballer Ally McCoist.
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Ian Botham and jockey Frankie Dettori also starred as captains on the show, which broadcast 1,365 episodes between 1970 and 2021.
Its heyday came in the 1980s and it broke records in 1987 when over 19 million tuned in to watch Princess Anne taking part.
Under Barker, the quiz show achieved an average four to five million viewers every episode.
But in September 2020, it was announced Barker, then 66, would be replaced as host by Paddy McGuinness.
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Ex-Team GB hockey star and Morning Live presenter Sam Quek, and ex-rugby international Ugo Monye replaced captains Dawson and Tufnell.
But Barker's departure was mired in controversy after she claimed bosses forced her to put her name to a statement which said she left on her own accord.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast last year, the presenter described the corporation's handling of her departure as "insulting".
She added: "I would never walk away from a job I love. I don’t mind being replaced. Absolutely fine.
"They wanted to refresh the programme and that is absolutely fine.
“I was asked to announce I was leaving for the good of the show. I was astounded.
"Was that because I was too old or not good enough? Either way, it was insulting. Did they expect me to sack myself?
"Naively, I’d expected more after 24 years. Why had we been shown so little respect?”
The re-brand proved a death knell to viewing figures, slumping to a record low of 730,000 on August 19 last year.
More tuned in to watch Channel 5's Britain's Poshest Farm Shops that night.
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On Friday, insiders told the Mirror that presenters and captains had been informed of the show's fate and were “gutted”.
It is a particular blow for McGuinness, 50, who recently lost his presenting role on Top Gear after programme makers scrapped the motoring show he'd presented since 2018.
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